I get wrapped up in living life offline. Which looks a lot like this....

Life in the meadow inside the snow dipped mountain bowl surrounding my tent. Aperture couldn't handle all the gradients of light.

and like this, too (see below).

Thanks to my huz for this panoramic on his better phone. Here is solitude pre-coffee upon morning wake. The "home office."

I tend to a life of the mundane rituals and happy doing them. AND APPARENTLY....according to the New York Times op-ed I read this AM in bed, this IS the pathway to happiness.

Life is a succession of tasks rather than a cascade of inspiration, an experience that is more repetitive than revelatory, at least on a day-to-day basis. The thing is to perform the task well and find reward even in the mundane.

— Roger Cohen, "Mow the Law," New York Times, June 12 2015

No wonder I love to mow the lawn and tend to the forest and wildlife so much on my property.....See! Ah-ha! I am onto something, then. Read Mr. Cohen's entire op-ed piece.

Being quiet and seeking solitude are NOT socially acceptable events in such a live-out-loud world now. Which brings me to a strange relationship I have with social media...(this feels like a tangent? Perhaps.)...Publicity inside a life has become a strange phenomena (to me) -- the social media hype of mundane life and bragging rights of fabulousness. It separates the private vs public personas for some and not so much for others. I have followed a few people's career trajectories and "fame" based on their countless Tweets, Instagram updates, and public Facebook pages. How interesting is all of this anyway? Thousands of people think it is, I see.

I very reluctantly started an Instagram account upon a professional urging and only three weeks in, see the game strangers/faux followers play. My IG days are more an experiment, than a die-hard amass followers type of appeal. The few people I follow I have a genuine interest in their artistic appeal, their stance on life, their worldview. What happened to the idea of genuine interest in other people?

For now, let's get on with this week's inspiration...Audio greatness found again. Welcome, the Los Angeles beat scene trio, The Glitch Mob. Check it.

And beat scene continues up the California coast to the Bay Area. Enter renowned poet and Beat publisher, Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Listen to his NPR interview I posted here...and it breaks my heart to hear that SF has changed so much that even when a 96-year-old man walks down the street and says "Good Morning" to someone, the response is nothing. You need to check yourself if you cannot or do not have the strength to reciprocate a greeting to an elderly man...especially if it's Mr. Ferlinghetti! It's inspiring to hear he is still churning out work....

Offer a stranger a new beat....like holding a door, the needed spare change, or free at last, a smile. If you're bold and have the energy, a free hug if it's warranted. Find inspiration! Share inspiration! Pass it on...send me an email or comment as usual....